Commission On Interreligious Affairs
of Reform Judaism

About The Commission

The Commission on Interreligious Affairs of Reform Judaism is dedicated to working with other religious communities on interfaith issues. The Commission is composed of representatives from the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), the North American Federation of Temple Brotherhoods/Jewish Chataqua Society (NFTB/JCS), and the Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ).

Organizational Partners
Leadership
Commission Members

Organizational Partners:

Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)
Founded in Cincinnati in 1873, the UAHC is the central body of the Reform Movement in North America. It has grown from an initial membership of 34 congregations in 28 cities to more than 900 congregations in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It is the largest Jewish movement in North America, and represents an estimated 1.5 million Jews. As the congregational arm of the Reform Movement, the UAHC's primary mission is to create and sustain vibrant Jewish congregations wherever Reform Jews live. The Union provides leadership and vision to Reform Jews on spiritual, ethical and political issues as well as materials and consultation for programs in the congregation. The Union also provides opportunities for individual growth and identity that congregations and individuals cannot provide by themselves: camps and Israel programs, study Kallot, national and regional biennials.

Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR)
The members of the CCAR constitute the body of rabbis who consider themselves and are considered to be the organized rabbinate of Reform Judaism. CCAR members consist of Reform Rabbis ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), as well as Reform Rabbis ordained at liberal seminaries in Europe, and some rabbis who joined the Reform movement sometime subsequent to ordination.Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR)
HUC-JIR serves as the educational and intellectual center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR is a religious and scholarly learning community dedicated to:

• Developing Jewish professional and lay leaders to transmit and apply to contemporary life the sustaining values, responsibilities and texts of our tradition;
  
  Applying the open and pluralistic spirit of the Reform movement to the study of the great issues of Jewish life and thought;
  
  
• Advancing the critical study of Jewish culture and related disciplines in accordance with the highest standards of modern academic scholarship.

North American Federation of Temple Brotherhoods / Jewish Chautauqua Society (NFTB/JCS)
The mission of NFTB is to encourage local brotherhoods to engage in projects and activities that provide meaningful services to their congregation; to sponsor and promote vitally important nationwide community-building projects; and to give local brotherhood members the opportunity to explore and celebrate their male Jewish spirit. Adopted as NFTB's interfaith education arm in 1939, The Jewish Chautauqua Society was originally founded in 1893 by Rabbi Henry Berkowitz. Founded on the principles of the Chautauqua Institution of upstate New York, which sought to spread education and values, the Jewish Chautauqua Society built its image on the dissemination of Judaism and Jewish history. Over the years it moved from the education of Jews about Judaism to the interfaith work it is now famous for. JCS continues today to educate the non-Jewish public about Jews and Judaism. By employing the knowledge and teaching skills of Jewish clergy, JCS has found its way into many of America's educational institutions and religious organizations. Through a variety of lectureships, book grants, and films, JCS has earned its place among the many tried and true interfaith organizations. Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ)

WOMEN OF REFORM JUDAISM is the voice, the presence and the venue for action of the women of Reform Judaism in the synagogue, the Jewish community, interfaith groups and the general, local, national and international community. It is the women's agency and an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the central body of Reform Judaism in North America. The founder of NFTY (the North American Federation of Temple Youth) and a founder of the Jewish Braille Institute, WRJ is a member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and works on behalf of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

WRJ brings together more than 75,000 Jewish women in over 500 Sisterhoods throughout the United States and in Canada and in other countries: Panama, Netherlands Antilles, Argentina, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Israel, the Republic of South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Founded in 1913 as the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS), the organization was established during a historic period of advancing struggle for recognition and equality for women.  Empowered by the Reform Movement 's precept of placing Jewish women on a plane of religious equality with men, NFTS became active in areas that continue to define its work today.

Leadership:Judith Hertz
Judith Hertz is an active member of the Reform Movement. In addition to co-chairing the Commission on Interreligious Affairs, she currently serves on the Commission on Social Action, the Editorial Board of Reform Judaism, the Board of Greater N.Y. Council of Reform Synagogues Board, the Board of Directors of Women of Reform Judaism, the Board of Directors of ARZA/ World Union North America, and the Board of Overseers of the New York School of HUC-JIR. Mrs. Hertz also devotes her time and energy to working on interreligious affairs. She serves on the International Council of Presidents of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, as well as on the Executive Committee for the U.S. Interreligious Committee for Peace in the Middle East. Michael Signer, Co-Chair
Rabbi Dr. Michael A. Signer is currently Abrams Professor in the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and a Senior Fellow of the Medieval Institute. He is also co-Chair of the Notre Dame Holocaust Project - an interdisciplinary faculty group that designs educational opportunities for students to engage in the study of the Shoah. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Notre Dame, he served as Professor of Jewish History at Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles. Rabbi Signer is the author and editor of five books on topics that range from Medieval Latin biblical commentaries to contemporary Jewish-Christian relations. He has written articles for the Oxford Dictionary of Judaism, the Encyclopedia of Medieval France, and the Encyclopedia of St. Augustine.

Mark J. Pelavin, Director
In addition to serving as Director of the Commission on Interreligious Affairs, Mark J. Pelavin is the Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC), a position he has held since May 1996. He is one of the Jewish community's leading legislative strategists, and having worked in Washington for over 15 years, one of its senior lobbyists. Mr. Pelavin, an attorney, is also the Associate Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism. The commission is the social justice policy-making body of the Reform Movement, relating ethical and spiritual principles of Judaism to the problems of today's world.

Commission Members:

Mr. Stuart Aaronson (NFTB/JCS)
Mr. Doug Barden (NFTB/JCS)
Mr. Aaron Bloom (NFTB/JCS)
Dr. Martin Cohen (HUC-JIR)
Rabbi Richard A. Block (CCAR)
Rabbi Edward Cohn (NFTB/JCS)
Rabbi Michael Cook (HUC-JIR)
Rabbi Harry Danziger (CCAR)
Judge David Davidson (URJ)
Rabbi Jerome Davidson (URJ)
Rabbi Steven Denker (CCAR)
Dr. David Ellenson (HUC-JIR)
Dr. Reuven Firestone (HUC-JIR)
Rabbi Steve Fox (CCAR)
Dr. Victor Goldbloom (URJ)
Mr. Robert Heller (URJ)
Mrs. Judith Hertz (Commission Co-chair)
Dr. Adam Kamesar (HUC-JIR)
Mrs. Carolyn Kunin (WRJ)
Rabbi Shira Lander (JCS)
Rabbi Lynne F. Landsberg (Honorary)
Mr. Burton Lehman (HUC-JIR)
Rabbi Robert N. Levine (CCAR)
Mrs. Shelley Lindauer (WRJ)
Mr. Ben Mendel, Jr. (URJ)
Mr. Charles Niederman (NFTB/JCS)
Dr. Carol Ochs (HUC-JIR)
Mr. David Oney (NFTB/JCS)
Mr. Mark Pelavin (Commission Director)
Rabbi Dan Polish (CCAR)
Rabbi Sarah H. Reines (CCAR)
Rabbi David Sandmel (CCAR)
Dr. Aaron Scholnik (URJ)
Mrs. Roseanne Selfan (WRJ)
Mr. John S. Shalett ((NFTB/JCS)
Rabbi Arnold I. Sher (CCAR)
Rabbi Charles P. Sherman (CCAR)
Mr. Irving Shnaider (NFTB/JCS)
Dr. Bernard H Shulman (URJ)
Rabbi Michael Signer (Commission Co-chair)
Rabbi Scott Sperling (NFTB/JCS)
Mr. Al Vorspan (Honorary)
Dr. Racelle Weiman (HUC-JIR)
Dr. Nancy Wiener (HUC-JIR)
Rabbi Eric Yoffie (URJ)

Union for Reform Judaism		Men of Reform Judaism		Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion		Central Conference of American Rabbis		Women of Reform Judaism